John Azzopardi

9.0

Juicy delicious relatively complex red with almost no tannin — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.3

Sourced from the esteemed ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, the 2017 ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah begins with lovely stony undertones that mingle with the green olive tapenade, bacon fat, cigar ash and clove aromatics that all marvelously combine in the glass. The texture imparted is seriously good as is the flavor range from Satsuma orange zest to ripe red cherry to shades of Umami, bulls blood and sweet pipe tobacco. Delicious now, this will continue to evolve well over the next eight to ten years — but why wait? Drink 2019-2026- 93 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.1

A few days late in posting the Wednesday Wine Committee wines. Standard format with 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.

Nice to revisit this from earlier in the year. Out of the flight, I found this to be the most aged. Integrated. Dusty and underripe black cherries on the nose with herbs. Cherry pipe tobacco, bayleaf and leather on the palate with a fading structure. Drink up. I guessed early ‘90s left bank Bordeaux. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Will and 1 other

Shay A

9.3

Monthly WTF guys blind tasting group. This month was our annual, and famed, Left Bank vs Right Bank theme. All wines served blind as usual. Started off with a Rosé and a champagne. Great night.

Another very good wine. Super soft. Tastes more modern in style. Ripe. Mixed berry pie, chocolate covered cherry cordials and pipe tobacco notes. Balances fruit and savory notes. With an extended decant, this is very enjoyable now, but will get better. I called this ‘14 Left Bank. Thanks @Colby Siratt . — 7 years ago

with Andrew, Jack and 6 others

Ara Aslanian

9.5

Beautiful nose; pipe tobacco, leather, earthy. Long finish. — 7 years ago

Christopher Fowler

9.0

Dark chocolate on the nose. Medium body. Sweet tobacco and ripe fruit on the palate. — 7 years ago

with Tricia and Michael

Michael Tuchband

9.5

Mellow structure, flavors of dark cherry, pipe tobacco, and pepper. — 8 years ago

with Edith and Moné

LM Segal

9.9

BBQ smoke, hot espresso beans, black cherry paste lead a lifted and broad, completely integrated beam of burnt strawberry, pipe tobacco and dark cassis. 60 second finish was interfered only with an imperative to go back for more. Fully resolved and at its peak, cork on the verge of danger. Unreal. — 8 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Mushroom and roots of river scrub poking out from muddy banks while skewering the corner-baked brownie with a thin, nearly burnt, crispy collar. A papyrus envelope lies open, filled with sandalwood soaked clay, and a blackberry, blueberry, gooseberry reduction with cassis just to tease. Lean mouthfeel that turns sharply mid-palate to a gravelly mineshaft of nutmeg, black sesame, burnt brownie bits, and soft cranberry jellies wraps up herbaceously with cedar chips, Provençal herbs, hazelnut, Brazil nut skin, hot saw blades salivating old cherrywood and belching pipe tobacco. Kept me nose deep in the funk. Brilliant wine with a surly personality. #LaFleurdeBoüard #Pomerol #rightbank #frenchred #lalande #lalandelicious #rivermonster — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Andres Montoya

9.2

Elegant, dried flower, eucalyptus, sweet pipe smoke, dark chocolate. — 10 years ago

with Martonio, Alex and 1 other

Ian Burrows

Sommelier Atelier Crenn

9.0

Ripe Red Cherry & sour plum, fennel fronds, pipe tobacco, subtle black truffle and smoke. — 12 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Possibly in its prime drinking window, and it is gorgeous. Everything about this screams high quality left bank Bordeaux (which is what I called it). It was beautifully perfumed with a mix of potpourri, dried black cherries, blackberries, graphite, saddle leather and herbs de Provence. Perfectly balanced on the palate with dark fruits enveloped in cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. There is a line of ripe purple fruits down the middle accompanied by dust and mocha which is just delicious. — 6 years ago

with Dan, joe and 2 others

Severn G

9.1

Just concluded our annual Fall seclusion at our cabin in the Rangeley lakes region of Maine, mobile service up there is mostly non-existent, after several days I am posting again. Notes are somewhat brief, as my focus is relaxing and watching the Common Loons swimming and diving in the cove in front of our camp.

60% Zinfandel, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, for the 2005 vintage blend. This label features Redhead ducks, which we have commonly seen occupying our beachfront, not this year unfortunately.
Nose has vanilla bean, pipe tobacco, ripe cherry, ripe blackberry, prune (light) and over-ripe plum.
Palate has rich blackberry & cherry, oak plank, chalk (light), dried strawberry, ripe plum and raisin (light).
Beautifully long finish and tannins are long gone; this bottle is at the end of its life, also our last bottle of this vintage. Always interesting to see how long they will hold. The labels have always been a favorite of ours. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

After trying this, I was informed that this one had been slow-oxing for 3 days! Soft quality with very rounded edges. Red and black fruits here get you right in the front with a dried nut character. Plum, pipe tobacco, a little foresty in the middle. Finishes with a lot of elegance but still has enough grip and pepper that it would go very well with really just about any food or fare. If this wine is drinking this well after 3 days, it still has a ton of life left! — 7 years ago

with Dan and Bradley

Martijn

9.5

Rain, hail, 7 degrees Celsius in May. Time for some fire and toro wine! Some iberico ham and bang we are back in Spain. Purple red. Almost black in the middle. Big nose: figue, almondpaste, hay, cedarwood, pipe tobaco, chocolate. Wow in the mouth. Big Bold taste which finishes over the minute. — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

Coming from an exceptional vintage, the 2005 Viña Tondonia from R. Lopez de Heredia is a compelling blend of Tempranillo (75%), Garnacho (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%), all sourced from their estate vineyards and aged for six years prior to bottling. This sensational wine opens with a bright bouquet of leather, cranberry, orange rind, forest floor and suggestions of black tea. Showing incredible focus and poise, this balanced Rioja is framed around flavors off leather, red cherry, teaberry, Mandarin orange and pipe tobacco that sit alongside brisk minerality, as the wine shows tremendous freshness and length through the long finish. This is an absolute stunning effort from this storied Estate and should continut to drink beautifully for years to come. Drink 2019-2035- 94 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.4

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

This wine is made by Michel Rolland. Large and in charge merlot. Mocha, sweet pipe tobacco, and a lot of ripe blackberry. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Cab lovers merlot. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This is a sample of the 16 Insignia still in barrel.

On the nose, the dark fresh florals exploded. The fruits are very dark currants and well extracted. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries and blue fruits hues on the edges of the glass. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, core of anise and fields of violets.

The body is thick and full. The wine still very fresh. The tannins big, meaty and chewy. The dark fruits are quite floral. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries with blue fruits. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, crushed dry rocks, river stones, tough leather, cedar, core of anise with red flowers and fields of violets. Very good round acidity. The long, big, ruby, lush, well balanced finish is beautiful.

The fruit, tannins and acidity all speak to it being 95+ and a long cellar.
— 8 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.2

The sweet smoke of a pipe and the deep dark depths of a plum jam and cranberry sauce. #vegasicilia — 10 years ago

Eric Hwang

9.5

Fragrant cherry pipe tobacco aromas meld into flavors of black and red fruit, leather and cedar. Smooth and supple. — 11 years ago

with Yashar and Michael

Sharon Harrison

8.9

The 2017 Pessimist has a powerful and intensely aromatic nose that ascends to greet you with blueberry, boysenberry and black plum fragrance. Evolving layers reveal elderberry and truffle, with cocoa and cardamom spice accents, further augmented by hints of eucalyptus, leather, cherry pipe tobacco and grilled meats.
Broad and expansive on the palate, bestowing lush and generous flavors of black cherry, blueberry, crème de cassis and damp forest floor. Notes of lavender, anise and black olives complement the rich fruit. Massive in weight yet elegantly structured, this wine is a powerhouse that reveals itself in controlled stages .
The finish is smooth and leisurely. Essences of pure dark berry fruit seemingly refuse to abate with a gorgeous fitting finale. — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

The 2016 'Kathryn Hall' Cabernet Sauvignon is a show-stopping wine from winemaker Steve Levesque. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot with the core fruit sourced from a barrel selection from the Sacrashe Vineyard. Simply captivating, this opens to inviting aromas of ripe dark currants and blueberry compote that collide with violets, tar and shades of sweet pipe tobacco that all sing in the glass. On the palate this is soft and plush, with beautifully round polished tannins and a gorgeous seamless quality, as well as wonderful weight that truly entices. It continues to deliver layers complex flavors including blueberry compote, leather, mocha, creosote and shades of Asian spices that all build up to the long multidimensional finish. While a delight in its youth, the 2016 'Katheryn Hall' Cabernet Sauvignon should also go on to provide enjoyment for twenty years. Drink 2020-2038- 97 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.6

An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood today. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.

Out of the lineup of the five reds, this had the aromatics that kept me going back for more. Initially, it reminded me of an older Ridge Monte Bello as I thought I got the slight hint of American oak, but it dissipated, allowing the bright black cherry, sandalwood, and herbs to shine. Gained some power as the lunch went on. Pipe tobacco, bay leaf, dusty blackberries and leather. The fruit was still tart (in a good way), showing how impressive this can age. I guessed this was early ‘00s Bordeaux. — 7 years ago

with joe, Dan and 1 other

Shay A

9.4

Jack & Arden put together a wonderful evening of delicious food and great wines, and a few of us attendees contributed some bottles to enjoy as well. Great night!

Served blind. I actually thought this was older than the previous wine (it wasn’t) and that this could be older Napa. Color wise, there was more translucence and bricking. Bing cherry, bay leaf, and herbal notes. Saddle leather, pipe tobacco, black cherry on the palate. A favorite producer of mine. Thanks for bringing @Jack Thompson — 7 years ago

with Arden, Jack and 3 others

Christopher Fowler

9.0

Medium/light body. Enough tannin to give it a backbone. This one's a treat. — 8 years ago

with Linda and Michael

Eric

9.5

Rusty pipe stuffed with black cherries. Super funky nose. My wife switched tables after smelling it. More for me. — 8 years ago

Beau Carson

9.2

Spectacular, and worked perfectly with teriyaki and pork chops. Mocha, pipe tobacco, black cherry, rich, and nice dusty tannins. — 9 years ago

Bill Trier

9.0

Paid euros Galway restaurant called the Quay wine bar. The wine was superb . — 10 years ago

David Landrum

9.2

'79 5th growth. 5th element. Tons of life left, fill up in the neck. Old apples, pipe tobacco, raspberries. #Maturewinerules — 11 years ago

Alina Ferguson

10

Damn good! Need to make a run up north again! :D — 13 years ago